While text messaging is commonly used today on mobile devices, instant messaging remains a popular form of communications as users are able to communicate essentially in real time over a networked environment. Typically, a user initiates an instant messaging session with a remote user, where both users communicate by typing messages via a user interface, and the messages are then displayed on their respective displays. When participating in an instant messaging session, an instant message conversation record is typically generated for each contact where a log of exchanged messages is maintained. However, in some instances, users may wish to restrict access to their conversations. This may apply, for example, in the context of an enterprise network environment. For example, restricting access to conversations would be beneficial in the event that an unauthorized user gains access to a user's desktop computer as the unauthorized user would have access to potentially sensitive information by viewing unprotected conversation records.